58°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Recruitment and retention: Henderson police chief wants more officers

After being sworn in on Tuesday, Henderson’s new police chief, Hollie Chadwick, outlined her priorities and upcoming department initiatives.

Under her leadership, Chadwick said a primary focus of the department will be on officer recruitment and retention.

Henderson employed 482 sworn police officers at the end of last year, the most officers the force has seen in the past five years, according to data from the city. Sixteen fewer officers worked in Henderson in 2021, with a total of 466 at the end of that year.

As chief, Chadwick looks to continue the upward trend for officer numbers.

To improve recruitment, Chadwick said the police department is putting a greater focus on lateral programs to hire officers from other departments and looking to establish a cadet program for 18- to 20-year-olds interested in policing. The department already has the explorer’s program for minors but nothing for adults under 21, Chadwick said.

She also said the department is going to appear at more community employment events, like job fairs.

Chadwick said the department is also making efforts to retain the officers they already have. The main focus is ensuring that officers are happy to go to work.

“One of our big retention efforts is making sure people are happy and fulfilled in the workplace,” Chadwick said.

One way that she’s planning to keep officers happy is by making sure they have opportunities to grow professionally and move within the department.

Another part of retention efforts will be focusing on the mental and physical health of the officers, Chadwick said, because taking care of officers’ well-being “directly translates out to the community.”

When asked about the issues Henderson officers have raised with previous police chiefs, Chadwick said the department has “moved forward from all that.”

The department’s previous chief, Thedrick Andres, retired after getting a vote of “no confidence” from the city’s police unions. The police chief before Andres, LaTesha Watson, was fired over conflicts with police unions and sued the city, alleging discrimination.

Chadwick said the department will hold multiple internal committees to ensure communication with officers. She said the department also plans to hold public committees to be open and transparent with the public, the time and place of which will be posted on the city’s website and the department’s social media.

Chadwick went on to praise the Henderson community for supporting her and other Henderson officers. She also called on the community to report when things don’t seem right in their neighborhood.

“Everything we do is about our community, everybody (in the department) has developed a great relationship with the community and the communities they enforce,” Chadwick said.

Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Instagram @writermark2.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST